Liz is Reborn
by GreenGirl111
Summary: As the story continues, Zooey's family gets a visit from Elsewhere.
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth had always known that she and her mother had a stronger than usual bond. Much stronger than the bond between her mother and her brother. Like the first Liz, Elizabeth was her mom Zooey's best friend. Her mom was always saying how similar Elizabeth was to her namesake. Similar attitude, thoughts, and even looks. Elizabeth had short, blondish-brown hair, a slender figure, and blue-green eyes. In fact, she was the spitting image of Liz. Elizabeth would soon find out just how similar she was to poor Liz, who died when she was Elizabeth's age.

"Mom, how do I look?" Hollered Elizabeth as she scrambled down the stairs. "Shit, I'm going to miss the bus!"

"You look fine, don't curse, and you never miss the bus," joked Zooey, "so come have breakfast with me and John." John was Elizabeth's brother. College drop-out and overall failure, Elizabeth secretly found it no wonder that she was mom's favorite. As she sat down for breakfast, she was shocked when she heard a faint voice coming from the coffee pot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother grow pale.

"It can't be." she whispered in a hollow voice, "Alvy said only 9 more years. It's too late."

"What's too late?" asked Elizabeth.

"For Liz," Zooey explained distractedly, "she could only be there for 9 more years."

"Be where? She's dead!"

"Yes, but she went..." her mother stopped. "I have a story to tell you. Something I should have told you long before now. As you know, my best friend Liz died when she was very young. I missed her terribly, and never forgot her. I decided that I wanted to invite her to my wedding, so I sent an invitation to Heaven in a bottle for her. I didn't see her, but Uncle Alvy said he heard her voice, and that she only had a small time to talk. She told him not to get me. Liz congratulated me on marrying your father, may he burn in hell, and assured Alvy that she was all right. We never heard from Liz again." After a long silence, Elizabeth remembered how this was started in the first place.

"What does this have to do with the coffee pot?"

"The voice always comes from water," her mother explained. "Hello? Is anyone there?" A minute of silence. Just as Elizabeth began to doubt her mother, she heard it.

_Yes._

"Who are you?"

_This is Grandma Betty, and I just wanted to say farewell before I can't remember how to speak. I have little time, so I must be brief. I've been watching your family from Elsewhere, and there is something that I have determined that I think you must know. Elizabeth, you are more similar to Liz than you could possibly imagine. For you see, you are Liz. When you turned zero, you were sent back down the river, and you were reborn as your best friend Zooey's daughter. I've missed you these past 15 years, and although it is possible that I will be reborn near you like Owen was, it is not likely. Maybe we shall meet again in Elsewhere. Goodbye, my dear..._

And as the memories came flooding back to Elizabeth, her grandmother was caught in the well and brought back to Elsewhere, wondering if she made the right choice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elsewhere**

**Sorry it took me so long to write. I had a lot of tests recently**

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It had been two weeks since "Grandma" Betty had contacted Zooey's family and told Elizabeth about her past life. Since that day, Elizabeth began remembering more and more by the hour. Soon, she was able to tell her whole family about Elsewhere and what she had gone through. Her mother, surprisingly, was not in the least scared about this strange land of the dead, and in fact was overjoyed that her old best friend was now her daughter. She was hoping to make up for lost time. John had not been particularly interested in who his sister had been in past lives, so he left to hang out with some of his "friends" at the bar.

"We've got so much catching up to do!" Zooey gushed, "I'm going to fill you in on everything you missed, Liz!" Zooey talked for hours, telling Liz about every conversation that had taken place between her and her ex-husband, every item of clothing that she had bought, and every event she attended in the past 30 years. She told Elizabeth things that she had never told anyone before, certainly things she didn't ever imagine telling her 15 year old daughter, no matter how close they were. But this was Liz, and she could tell her anything.

Elizabeth (Liz) _really _tried to listen, but all she could think about was something Betty had said. "..._a__lthough it is possible that I will be reborn near you like Owen was..."_ She couldn't get it out of her head. She remembered Owen, and the blissful years they had spent together. She remembered how much they'd gone through, and how much she'd gone through to get him to herself. She remembered how much she loved Owen.

"I'm going to find Owen, Zooey," Liz states, then blushes. She hadn't meant to say it that bluntly. _Well, now it was too late for that, _she thought as she looked into her mothers stunned face. "Betty said he was reborn near me. He'd be two years younger than me now, so he'd be in the 8th grade. Tomorrow I'm going to start searching the middle school nearby."

"Oh, Liz, but how will you find him? He probably won't look the same." Seeing that her daughter/ best friend was close to tears, she quickly added, "But if you really love him, I'm sure you'll recognize him!"

"But you didn't recognize me!" Liz cries, "You had to be told, and that took 15 years!"

"I knew that you and I had a special bond, though, so it isn't impossible that you'll be able to tell..." starts Zooey, but then realizes that there's no way she'll be able to convince Liz of a lie. Liz was too smart. "Look, just try the middle school tomorrow. Maybe you'll be lucky!"

The next day Liz sets off to the middle school. After her talk with her mom/ friend, she had started preparing for the next day. She bought an outfit that looked very similar to one she had had in Elsewhere (black skinny jeans, a ripped purple tee over a white tank, a large black belt, green flip-flops, and large chunky earrings that matched her necklace). Walking to the school feeling very fashionable, she began to search for possible Owens. She sat on the railing of the staircase down from the front of the school, waiting to see if anyone looked like Owen, or if anyone looked like they recognized her. After half an hour, she had 6 possible Owens. Satisfied with her list, she went home, ready to share the good news with Zooey.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapters a little boring, but it will get better**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elsewhere or any of its characters**

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"Okay, so I think we've got the list in order," said Zooey after hours of looking over the Owen candidates. "Let's just read it through now."

"Okay, here we go," Elizabeth said:

"Candidate number one:

Description: Average height, slightly plump, warm brown eyes, curly brown hair. Nice smile, seemed nice.

Location: One block over from ours.

Identification: Initials are J.T.. John's friends brother.

Reason for being candidate: Acted like Owen, and had same speaking voice.

Candidate number two:

Description: Tall, lanky, very skinny and sickly. Pale skin and towheaded. Pale blue eyes. Outsider

Location: Unknown

Identification: Unknown

Reason for being candidate: Couldn't stop staring at me. Possibly remembered me.

Candidate number three:

Description: LOOKS JUST LIKE OWEN! Very hot(for a 13 year old). Very popular

Location: Unknown

Identification: Friend called him Blake, and his last name starts with a "D."

Reason for being candidate: Looks just like Owen

Candidate number four:

Description: On the tall side, sort of muscular, brown wavy hair, piercing green eyes. Some friends, very polite.

Location: Down the street (I followed him home).

Identification: Sean Davis

Reason for being candidate: Looked surprised and confused to see me. Started a conversation. He felt familiar.

Candidate number five:

Description: Dark skin, black hair, hazel eyes, huge grin. Very handsome and good looking. Very funny. Tons of friends and girls around him. Has girlfriend.

Location: Unknown

Identification: Joey is his first name. Last name unknown

Reason for being candidate: Winked at me and started telling me jokes. For the record the jokes were very funny.

Candidate number six:

Description: Looks like a surfer. Tan, huge muscles, bleached blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. Very tall for his age. Wore sunglasses, beach shorts, and a tight, see through, white tank. He has a 6-pack, btw.

Location: Probably near a beach

Identification: Sydney Taylor. One of his many drug addicted, perverted, or mentally retarded friends called him that. His girlfriend (dumb blond named Devi) then started making out with him.

Reason for being candidate: Caught him checking me out, then he came over and asked for my number while Devi wasn't looking. I gave it to him because he's really hot for someone two years younger than me."

"Seems like you want Sydney Taylor to be Owen," giggled Zooey, "And I don't blame you!"

"I wouldn't mind Owen being any of them. Although I guess I'd prefer him to be Blake, Sean, Joey, or Sydney. Those four were the cutest. I guess the chubby one wouldn't be that bad either. He sounded like

Owen. I'm kind of hoping he isn't the sick one, though. But he's still a possibility. Sydney and Joey were both super hot, but Blake looked like Owen. And Sean, well, he sort of...felt...like him, I guess. And he was

pretty cute too."

"How will you figure out which one is Owen?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't figured it out yet. But I'm not going to worry about it now. Now, I'm going to spend a weekend shopping with my best friend!"

Both Zooey and Liz squealed, and then they immediately started planning their weekend together, where they planned to strengthen their bond as not only mother and daughter, but also as best friends


	4. Chapter 4

Liz and Zooey had the best weekend of their lives. They told each other everything that had gone on since Liz had been hit by that car, including about Elsewhere and about Zooey's abusive marriage. By the end of Sunday, they were inseparable, like they had been before the accident. They also had come up with a plan for determining the real Owen. Liz would ask each possible Owen out on a date, in order. By next week, she would have at least eliminated a few of them. Then she would use her judgement.

"I'm not sure about this." Liz complained. She and Zooey had finally picked out her outfit. Liz wore a hot pink headband, a tight see-through tank, a black lacy bra, a ripped mini pink tee, and denim short shorts. She wore her favorite flip-flops on her feet, and bangles all up her arms.

"You're not sure about your outfit or the whole plan? I'm still getting used to being more your friend and less your mother, because I'm not sure about that tank."

"I'm not sure about the plan. What if none of them want to go out with me?"

"Number one, they're hormone-crazed, 13 year old boys. They'd go out with anyone. And you do look pretty sexy right now. And number two, even if some of them say no, it just means that those boys aren't Owen. Owen wouldn't say no to you. Especially looking like that!"

"I guess. School's almost over, I'm going to wait outside for Jesse." Liz had badgered John until he asked his friend what J.T. stood for. It was Jesse Thompson. Liz was going to go down her list in order to find Owen. "I'll be back by 11:00, maybe."

"See ya!"

Liz waited outside the school, keeping her eyes peeled for Jesse. When she spotted him, she sauntered over, tossing her hair so that it hit the sun, and then when she got nearer to Jesse, she accidentally/ on purpose dropped her book. To pick it up, she carefully angled herself so that Jesse got a great view. She came up to see him staring open-mouthed at her rear. Liz throws him her most winning smile.

"Hey, handsome. What's up?"

"Uhhhhhhh...I...um, I'm...Jess...eeee...uhhhhhh." Even when he was speaking gibberish, he sounded just like Owen.

"You busy tonight?" continues Liz, as if Jesse had just said something witty.

"Umm...n-n-no...ummmm...whu-whu-where?

"Movie theatre, 9:00, bring money. See you there." And with that she sashayed away.

At 8:55, Liz arrived at the theatre. She was wearing a black tank, a denim pink miniskirt, and black, 2-inch heels. She wore minimal make-up, however, because she still wanted possible Owen to be able to recognize her as "his" Liz. When she saw Jesse waiting for her in a rental tux and with a bouquet of flowers, she knew she was screwed.

"Hi." he muttered, "My mom made me wear this, but don't worry, I brought clothes to change into."

Okay, maybe he wasn't _totally_ hopeless.

"There's a bathroom inside, but let's buy tickets to Bloodbath first." Liz had decided that a horror movie would be best, followed by dinner at a pizza place, maybe.

"OMG I love that movie!" shouted Jesse, who then turned bright red. What kind of a boy says OMG?

After he changed, Jesse and I sat down for the movie. It was pretty awful. The blood more orange than red, and the severed limbs are obviously rubber, but I still pretend to be terrified. At what I assumed was supposed to be the most scary part, I screamed as loud as Hell and curled up into Jesse. He did that stupid move where you fake yawn and put your arm around the girl. So lame. He didn't seem at all similar to Owen now, except for his voice, which still made me ache. Oh well, he still owed me dinner.

"I'll have 3 slices of the anchovy, 2 of the seafood, and 3 of the chicken finger pizza, please." ordered Jesse. Why in gods name was he ordering the anchovy slices. His breath was going to wreak.

"I'll have a slice of plain pizza, please." I muttered, embarrassed by my "dates" meal. "And I think I'll have it to go. I have to get home."

"Already?" asked Jesse, dumbfounded, "It's only 10, you said you had 'til 11?"

"I have some homework left though, sorry." I muttered in what I hoped sounded like an apologetic tone.

"Well, then goodbye." Jesse whimpered, looking very hurt. Crap, I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Trying to make amends, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I walked away with my pizza in a to-go bag, and with a very stunned looking boy behind me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Zooey's POV**

**Sorry if the last chapter confused you. I switched to Liz's POV at the end. Please Review**

**Disclaimer: I don't own elsewhere**

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I watched my daughter walk out the door, part of me happy that she might find her true love, and part of me feeling betrayed. I hadn't seen my best friend in 30 years, or at least not knowing who she really was. And she ditched me for a boy she met in the land of the dead. I tried to be patient, and I had enjoyed our weekend together, but we used to be so much closer. Maybe I'm just being oversensitive, or maybe it's my motherly instinct telling me that Elizabeth shouldn't be doing this...this game!

"I'm probably overreacting." I think. I've been on the edge since I caught that bastard with John's girlfriend. That was probably my closest moment with John, when we sat together crying over us breaking up with the ones we loved. I wait patiently for my daughter to come home. When she arrived one hour early, though, my friend side kicked in.

"Why are you back so early, Liz?"

"He's SO not Owen!" she shouted, laughing. "Owen was more grown up at the age of 6 than that 13 year old was! I guess I'll just have to keep trying."

"Liz, what about me?" I blurted out before I can stop myself. "I've missed, you Lizzie."

"I missed you too, Zooey, but I miss Owen now, too. I love him, and I have to find him!" Liz bursts into tears. "What if he's found someone else and doesn't want me?"

"If he's as good as you say he is, he'll want you." I try to sooth her. "We can hang out again once you find him. Then we can all go shopping together!


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about not updating in a month or two...anyway, Review!**

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Liz's POV

I was pretty upset when I realized that Jesse wasn't Owen. It wasn't that I'd wanted him to be Owen, it was that he'd sounded so much like him, and to have him be so different was a huge disappointment.

"It'll be okay." Zooey assured me, "I'm sure one of them is Owen."

"I hope not the kid I'm asking out tonight, he seems sort of...creepy."

"Then why ask him out?"

"Because if he's Owen, I'll love him anyway."

So that day after the middle school ended, I was there waiting for him. I figured he wouldn't say yes if I wore something skanky, so instead I wore skinny jeans and a black tank. When I saw him again, I started having second thoughts. He would be good looking if he wasn't so weird. He was way too pale, and he had huge circles under his eyes. He was limping. _He could be Owen _I think, as I walk up to him.

"Hey!" I wave at him. Why is this so much harder with him than it was with Jesse? He looks around behind him, as if he was expecting someone else to answer. When he realized I was talking to him, he just glared at me. Okay then.

"Are you free tonight, cutie?" Cutie?

"Who put you up to this?" he asked menacingly.

"No one!" I assured him. "I'm just curious about you, that's all!" He considered this for a minute. Finally he asked what time. I told him the pizza place at eight.

I got there at 8:05, wearing a light blue sun dress, and feeling completely unsure about the whole thing. He was really not my type! I hoped this would be over quickly. When is was 8:30 and he wasn't there, I figured he'd stood me up. I called him to tell him how terrible he was and what he was missing. He didn't pick up. I got the answering machine though, and it told me I could find him at his house, which he gave the address for. When I got there, however, I wasn't ready for what lay before me. An older woman was sobbing hysterically on the floor. She must have been his mother, but unlike him, she didn't seem sickly. She was a beautiful blond, but at that point her eyes seemed red, not the blue they must have been.

"What's wrong?" I ask, confused.

"H-e-he d-d-died!" she sobbed. I run up the stairs and scream. My date, the one whose name I never learned, is hanging in his closet, his eyes vacant, and blood running from his wrists. There were also DMT pills strewn across the ground, which had probably caused his sickly appearance. I ran away as fast as I could. I left that house, and I left his mother on the floor, and ran straight home.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for not updating, please review!

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I cried. And cried. And cried. Zooey was there for me the whole time. She didn't blame me, didn't judge me, just held me. She didn't even tell me I should have stayed and helped his mom. Nothing. Just comfort and support. And although this event scared the shit out of me, it also gave me confidence. Because I was one person closer to finding Owen. But I decided to be more careful with the feelings of the guys I was testing out. I didn't want another suicide on my mind. So I prepared for the next candidate.

On the day I was asking out Blake, I wore a hot pink micro-mini, a tube top, leggings, and chunky jewelry. I approached him after school.  
"Hey, Blake, is it?" I asked, after sashaying over. Blake takes a break from talking with some friends to look at me. When he does, his eyes twinkle like Owens used to, and he smiles the same way.  
"Hey...new girl?"  
"Elizabeth."  
"So Elizabeth, got any plans for later? Me and my friends were just gonna hit this cool party at this new club, you wanna come?"  
"Is that a date?" I ask flirtatiously.  
"Well, show up to find out." he says, winking. He is so much like Owen right now, I think as I strut away, not minding the breeze tugging at my skirt, showing off my lacy lingerie and long legs, not minding that my top was slipping a little, and a little proud that I could feel Blake's eyes on me the whole time.

"I think he's the one!" I practically scream when I see Zooey at the door. "But now that I think about it, I forgot to ask about the dress code of the club...I'll call to find out." But when I called, he said to wear something easy to change out of, because they give clothes there.  
"It's just this thing they have, don't worry about it. And I feel I should tell you that the location of the club is new, but this group of people who go there have been together awhile."  
"Doesn't matter, I make new friends real easy," I say flirtatiously. So I wear a baggy shirt over a really skimpy tank, that completely shows my pink bra, and I wear a flowing skirt on the bottom.

I meet him outside when I get there, and learn that when he said change, he meant everything. Shoes, underwear, everything. Okay then. And when they hand me what I'm supposed to wear, I know I'm really screwed. It's a long black dress, with a collar and long sleeves that go long past my hand, and with little rectangles along my arm of missing fabric. But, once you get passed my neck, the dress goes from black velvet to fishnetting, and stays that way until mid-thigh. Then it goes back to the black fabric, flowing down, with almost a train at the end. For underwear I have a clear bra with black lace straps, and a black thong. I have to wear white heels that must be at least ten inches. When I see this, I start backing away, but then I look at Blake, and he smiles, just like Owen.  
"Don't worry about the outfit, it's just this thing we have. It's really dark in there anyways, no one will see you."  
"What kind of a club is this?"  
"It's more of a...a group of people, with similar beliefs...almost religious, except fun."  
"So...like a cult?" I'm starting to worry.  
"No, not a cult, it's only for teens, and it's fun!"  
"I'll try it, but if I don't like it, I'm leaving." He should have told me you're not allowed to leave until the end of the ceremony.

I put on the outfit in the small curtained room that was provided for us. The outfit was even worse on, I felt practically naked in it, especially around the chest. But, I went out, hoping it would be dark. When I enter, I feel very out of place. Everyone else is wearing outfits more like something from rocky horror, nothing floorlength with long sleeves. And when I passed people, they all looked at me with respect. They all had long gloves on. The building had a glass roof, letting the moon shine through. But there was loud music, wild dancing, booze, and weed everywhere. When I tried to get a drink, they told me I have to wait until after the ceremony, although no one else looked like they had to. So I did some dancing, then found Blake and his friends. Blake did look pretty good in his outfit, thankfully no fishnet stockings, and black jeans instead of the underwear most were wearing. I guess he was higher up in the cult, so he could modify his outfit.  
"Having fun?" he asks, loudly, to be heard over the music.  
"Sort of, actually! This is pretty fun for a cult, and it is too dark to see. I wish I could have a drink though."  
"Oh, well, you can, after the ceremony. The guest isn't supposed to drink."  
"Guest?"  
"Well, it's your first time here, the first timer is always the guest of honor. And it's almost midnight, so it's time for the ceremony."  
"Ok, where do I go?"  
"Come with me." He leads me to the side, and shows me a white stone bench with carvings on the side, glowing in the dark. There are dark stripes going down the side.  
"Lie down." he commands, his voice no longer warm. I do so, suspiciously. Suddenly, many older teens, older than me, come in, and pick up the bench, carrying it to the center of the dance floor, right under the full moon. The dancing stops. And chanting begins. I don't know what they are saying, but I think it's in latin, and I understand the phrase "Deo gratias," meaning thanks be to God. I felt exposed, you could see me clearly in the moonlight, and I knew they could see everything in my outfit. Then I heard someone say sacrifice. I evaluated my situation, my position, my special outfit. Oh crap.

I tried to get up then, but they held me down, chained me down, going across my arms, over my chest, and then tying my legs down at the bottom. No chains on the netted part. I noticed that there were pins attaching the netting the the dress. It looked like the netting could be removed. Double crap. This cult doesn't seem fun anymore. Someone brings a table made of stone, and places it over me. They start a fire on it. Someone brings a knife, and then I realize what the rectangles of missing fabric are for. They cut me, three times in each arm, then once above my belly button. It feels like fire, they go deep, I'm screaming, and they're still chanting. They collect my blood in a basin, and poor some onto the fire, then pass around the rest to drink. Then Blake comes forward. He has my blood smeared on his face. He rips off my netting, and sets himself on top of me. I feel dizzy, and terrified, I'm going to be raped while I'm unconscious by a 13 year old, but then someone comes in screaming through the door.

to be continued...

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Hope you enjoyed that, I know I got a bit carried away there :)


	8. Chapter 8

"Get away from my daughter!" It's Zooey! Thank god thank god. Zooey is not the most intimidating person, but when she's mad...let's just say the whole club was empty in a matter of minutes. Blake had vanished from on top of me. Zooey doesn't cry over me, doesn't yell at me for being stupid, all she does is wrap up my cuts, help me with my clothes, and let me cry. And then I realize: Zooey has to be my mom, not just my friend, because sometimes I desperately need a mom.  
"Mom?"  
"Yes?"  
"I'm giving up on finding Owen. At least for now. I can't handle it, I'm only 15, and I have other things I need to do. Maybe when I'm older, I'll continue the search, because I know I'll never love anyone like I love Owen. But for now, I'm moving on."

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3 Years later

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POV Sean

A girl comes towards me, wearing a plain tee-shirt and skinny jeans. She's very pretty, with longish blond hair, and blue-green eyes. I know I've seen her around before, but it's not just that that makes her seem familiar to me. It's almost like I've known her my whole life.  
"Owen?" she asks, tentatively.  
"Liz?" How do I know her name? I don't understand it.  
"You remember me?"  
"I don't know why, have we met? And my name's Sean, not Owen, although...Owen does sound familiar too. Like someone from my past. Does that make sense?"  
"Perfect sense." she smiles at me shyly, and then something clicks, and I jump up and hug her.  
"Liz!"

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okay I hope that makes up for the weirdness of the last chapter. reviews are always nice... :D


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